Disinfection of reusable elastomeric respirators by health care workers: A feasibility study and development of standard operating procedures

• Published in: American journal of infection control Vol. 43; no. 6; pp. 629 - 634
• Main Authors: Bessesen, Mary T., Adams, Jill C., Radonovich, Lewis, Anderson, Judith
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.06.2015; Mosby-Year Book, Inc
• Subjects: Disinfectants; Disinfection; Disinfection & disinfectants; Disinfection - methods; Disinfection - standards; Elastomers; Equipment Contamination; Equipment Reuse - standards; Feasibility; Feasibility Studies; Health Personnel; Humans; Infectious Disease; Influenza; Life support systems; Medical Errors - statistics & numerical data; Medical personnel; Pandemics; Reference Standards; Respiratory protective device; Respiratory Protective Devices - standards; Sodium hypochlorite; Task Performance and Analysis; Training; United States; United States Department of Veterans Affairs; United States; United States > US; Sodium hypochlorite; Disinfection; Pandemics; Respiratory protective device; Disinfectants; Influenza
• ISSN: 0196-6553; 1527-3296; 1527-3296
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajic.2015.02.009

This was a feasibility study in a Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center to develop a standard operating procedure (SOP) to be used by health care workers to disinfect reusable elastomeric respirators under pandemic conditions. Registered and licensed practical nurses, nurse practitioners, aides, clinical technicians, and physicians took part in the study. Health care worker volunteers were provided with manufacturers' cleaning and disinfection instructions and all necessary supplies. They were observed and filmed. SOPs were developed, based on these observations, and tested on naïve volunteer health care workers. Error rates using manufacturers' instructions and SOPs were compared. When using respirator manufacturers' cleaning and disinfection instructions, without specific training or supervision, all subjects made multiple errors. When using the SOPs developed in the study, without specific training or guidance, naïve health care workers disinfected respirators with zero errors. Reusable facial protective equipment may be disinfected by health care workers with minimal training using SOPs. •Reusable face masks may be needed during a respiratory illness pandemic.•An easily deployed, reliable mask disinfection procedure is needed.•We developed standard operating procedures for mask disinfection.•Health care workers following manufacturers' instructions made multiple errors.•Health care workers following the standard operating procedures made no errors when disinfecting masks.